Means for interchangeably mounting stones in jewelry pieces



April 6, 1954 w BQDNAR 2,674,107

MEANS FOR INTERCHANGEABLY MOUNTING STONES IN JEWELRY PIECES Filed Feb.1, 1952 INVENTOR.

Waxy/1 Emma Patented Apr. 6, 1 954 llIEANS FOR INTERCHANGEABLY MOUNT-ING STONES IN JEWELRY PIECES Walter H. Bodnar, Washington, D. C.

. Application February 1, 1352, Serial No. 269,491

3 Claims. (Cl. 6329) The present invention relates to the means ofinterchangeably mounting and supporting various stones in jewelry piecessuch as rings, bracelets, etc.

The main object of the present invention is the provision to maintainand support a stone in a set condition relative to a jewelry piece.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a suitablemeans for maintaining a jewelry stone in a rigid set condition withrelation to a jewelry piece, which means can be quickly disengaged forthe purpose of readily removing a stone and substituting another one inits place.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of ajewelry stone, translucent or transparent in its nature, to receive atits back a paper sheet of various colors. The color showing through thestone would impart to the stone the color of the paper in the back ofit, thereby simulating the natural color of a given genuine stone.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a suitablemeans whereby both the stone and the color material in the back of itcould be rigidly maintained in position within a jewelry piece.

, With the above general objects in view and others that will appear asthe invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter morefully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed outin the appended claims.

In the drawing forming a part of this application and in which likedesignating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout theseveral views;

' r Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view, longitudinally through a jewelrypiece, such as a bracelet, with the stone in elevation, showing themeans for maintaining the stone in a rigid mounted condition withrelation to the jewelry piece;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the jewelry piece and the stone inposition therein, looking from the reverse side of the piece, alsoshowing a modified form of the interengaging means of the stone with thejewelry piece.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through the jewelry piece and thestone, with the stone maintaining means in elevation, the view havingbeen taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 41-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross section through a stone and its mounting frame;

Fig. 6 is a similar view with a frame of a. modified construction;

Fig. 7 is a cross section of a stone of a modified construction, withouta frame; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective elevational view of a spring member used inconnection with the jewelry piece for maintaining the stone in a rigidset position therewith.

Referring in detail to the present drawing there is shown thereinjewelry piece Ill, in this instance a bracelet. Centrally thereof thejewelry piece has a raised portion or bulge II, which extends outwardlyfrom the body of the piece and is provided with opening I2. In a spacedrelation with the rim portion of said bulge II, and on a plane which issubstantially a continuation plane of the body portion of the jewelrypiece, the latter is provided with a pair of opposed tongues I3, whichare in a. longitudinal co -axial relation with the body of said jewelrypiece I0.

Co-acting with said tongues I3, for maintaining in a set rigid positionof stone piece I4, is an oblong spring I5, which is best shown in Fig.8. Said spring I5 includes a central bulging arcuate portion and theends which are on a common plane.

Referring now to the stone construction, the same is best illustrated inFigs. 5, 6 and 7, which are cross sections of stones either of variousconstructions or of various frames within which the stones are mounted.Thus, in Fig. 5 stone I I has a mounting frame, which includes base I6.Extending from said base It from one face thereof is a stone engagingflange II corresponding in contour to the contour of a given stone. Tomaintain said'frame in a rigid engagement with the stone flange I1 isspinned. over the tapering side portion of the stone and adjacent thebottom thereof, as is best seen in Figs. 5 and 6. It is further observedthat said flange I1 is in a spaced relation with the marginal rim ofsaid base I6. Flange H in its contour further corresponds to the contourof opening I2 and completely fills the same, with the bezel of the stoneextending above the plane of jewelry piece I0, as is seenin Figs. 1, 3and 4. The rim portion of base I6 outwardly of said flange II engagesand contacts the inner face of the marginal portion of bulge I I whichis adjacent said opening I2.

From the hereinabove description it will therefore be seen that when thestone is in a position within said opening I2, all that needs to be donein order to maintain th stone in a rigid interlocked position relativeto the jewelry piece, is to insert spring IS with its ends engaging saidtongues I3, and disposed between the latter and the marginal portion ofsaid bulge II adjacent opening I2, as is clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 3.

The central arcuate portion of said spring l5, pressing at base It willmaintain the frame with the stone in an operative position with thejewelry piece. In order to change the stone, all that is required is togive an angular shift to spring 12 in order to disengage the same fromtongues [3. This will condition th jewelry piece to receive insubstitution another stone either of a different color or of a differentcut.

The modified stone mounting frame, shown in Fig. 6, is of a constructionsimilar to that illustrated in Fig. 5, except that in the former base [6is provided with opening 18. Insertion of various colored papers withinsaid opening [8 will cause the color of a given paper to show I throughthe stone, if the stone is translucent or transparent. Paper piece 19,positioned within said opening [8, as shown in Fig. 3, will bemaintained in its operativ position along with the stone mounting frameand the stone, by the action of spring 15, the latterbearing by itscentral portion directly against said paper piece [9.

As a modification of the construction of tongues 13, illustrated inFigs. 2, 3 and 4, the free ends of said tongues 13 are provided with apair of spaced lugs 20 upwardly extending from saidtongues l3. The pairof said lugs 20 in each tongue 13 defines a slot wherein the end ofspring 15 is receivable. By virtue of this arrangement it will beimpossible for spring 15 to accidentally shift in a lateral direction tobe displaced. Said lugs 20 prevent such an occurrence. In order todisengage spring l from the assembly and remove the same preparatory tothe substitution of one stone for another, at least one end of springmust be raised above the free ends of said lugs in one tongue l3 so thatthe raised end. of the spring may be laterally shifted past said onetongue [3. When this has been done the removal of the spring is assured.

In Fig. 7 there is shown another modification of the construction ofstone l4. Instead of having a metallic base 16 or flange 11 the stoneit'- self is provided with horizontally extending flange 2| on the planeof its base. Said flange 2| is capable of engaging the marginal portionof bulge l I from the bottom thereof, the same as themounting frameshown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Itis further observed that said tongues 13 may be either stamped outfrom the body of a jewelry piece, or they may be soldered thereto or inany other manner afiixed thereto.

From the hereinabove description it will be seen that stones M ofvarious colors as well as variously colored paper inserts I9 may beinterchangeabl in the same jewelry piece such as ring, bracelet, etc.The desirability of interchanging various stones in the same jewelrypiece lation of variously colored semi-precious stones when variouslycolored paper inserts such as i9 are at the back thereof.

When lugs 20 are used in connection with tongues 13 it is of coursenecessary that spring 15 should be shorter than the width of bulge ll,so that said spring can expand and longitudinally shift, when stone I4is manually depressed against said spring l5 preparatory to manuallyraising one end of said spring l5 so as to elevate the latter above lugs20 in order to withdraw the spring from its operative position.

While there is described herein a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scopeofv theinvention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a jewelry piece, a body portion, an offset bulge extending fromone face of said body portion, said bulge being provided with an openingtheret-hrough, a stoneassembly including a stone of a contourcorresponding to the contour of said opening and a mounting frame withinwhich said stone is receivable and rigidly engageable, said mountingframe including a flange extending beyond the perimeter of said stone,said stone normally extending through said opening, said flange normallycontacting the inner marginal portion of said bulge adjacent saidopening, a pair of opposed tongues extending from said body portionsubstantially at points at which said bulge extends from said bodyportion, said tongues being in a spaced relation with said bulge, and astiff, arcuate spring member sup-- ported by said tongues in a mannerpermitting removal of said spring member when it is desired to replacsaid stone assembly, said spring member normally bearing against theinner face of said stone assembly for maintaining the latter and saidflange in their normal operative posi-' tions.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein said spring member isswingable to and from a position in which its ends are engaged by saidtongues.

3. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein one of said tongues isprovided with a pair of spaced apart lugs extending toward said bulgeand one end of said spring member rests upon said one tongue betweensaid lugs.

References Cited in the file of. this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany Qct.,1,.1887

